


more than a legend, more than a dream

by LucyInTheSky (WishingTree)



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Gen, Rise of the Guardians AU, Temporary Character Death, don't come at me i know this is a strange choice for an au but whatever!!, rangers as guardians bc it be like that i guess!, spoilers it's not permanent bc I COULD NEVER
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-06-28 11:49:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15706638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/LucyInTheSky
Summary: When Trini died in a frozen pond, she was never supposed to come back to life.Actually, there were a couple of things that were never supposed to happen: she was never supposed to come back to life, she was never supposed to wake up and discover she hadpowers, and most of all?She was never supposed to be a Guardian.Her name was Trini, and she was Jack Frost.How did she know that? The Moon told her so. But that was all he ever told her.And that, was a long, long time ago.Rise of the Guardians AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no good explanation for this. I'm that gif of Jacob Tremblay dancing right now.
> 
> I was going to leave this as a twoshot, but then something fell into place and WOW it's gonna be more.
> 
> (Everyone go watch this gorgeous, gorgeous movie)

 

_Darkness. That was the first thing she remembered._

 

_It was dark, it was cold…_

 

_…And she was scared._

 

 

 

Trini regained consciousness slowly, bits and pieces fitting irregularly into place as she started to stir. Her awareness was gradually returning, creeping back in from the edges of her mind, and all she could feel was _cold_.

It was so cold.

Why was it cold?

Her body was rising slowly and weightlessly, and just as she was about to try something drastic like moving, she broke through some kind of barrier – a layer of ice? – and gasped, breathless as she felt air hit her skin for the first time.

The night was still, and then information came to her in a rush; her hair was dry even though she was pretty sure she had just been underwater, and it was long, brown, hanging loosely around her face. She wasn’t on the ground – she was actually floating effortlessly in midair. Her clothes were scratchy but fit well, and she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She didn’t know where she was, or even who she was, but everything was too dim, too quiet and too loud, too strange. Something was missing. Something – someone? Some _one_ was missing, someone was…

Trini’s hands began to shake.

She was scared, and she could feel her breath starting to come quicker as her frantic eyes darted around, creating white puffs of air in front of her as her chest tightened and her throat started to close up.

But then… then she saw the moon. It was so big, and so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away.

And when that happened, she found that she wasn’t scared anymore.

The light from the moon beamed down on her, watching over her, and Trini could feel herself calming down. Her bare feet gently touched down on the cracked ice below her before she realized she was floating downwards, and she felt it smooth itself out under her toes, saw a ripple of silver expand outwards from the corner of her eye.

Still breathing heavily, she looked down at herself, turning her hands over and pulling at her clothes before her gaze was drawn back to the moon. She reflexively took a step backwards to get a better look, and let out a little gasp when she slipped, throwing her arms out for balance. She shifted on her feet and then blinked in surprise at the swirls of ice that appeared in her wake, spiraling musically outwards. 

She paused to think, and then experimentally hopped the last few feet to the edge of the frozen pond. Watching the ice spread with a growing sense of wonder, she didn’t notice how close the snow bank border was and flailed when she tripped on it. Her hand hit the tree trunk next to her, steadying her, but then, just like the surface of the frozen pond, a spiral of silver magic burst outwards at the touch.

Tentatively, she reached out and poked the tree, and she gasped when patterns of ice bloomed from her fingertips, crawling up the bark. A disbelieving smile spread across her face as she watched it crackle and grow, and she quickly poked another one, a single laugh escaping her lips as the same thing happened. She bounced excitedly on her feet, watching it with wide eyes, and that was when she belatedly realized that it had started to snow.

The snowflakes were falling lightly, catching on her eyelashes and settling in her hair, and Trini paused to look up again, watching as the moonlight made them sparkle. A feeling started to swell up inside of her, and after a moment’s hesitation she gave in to the urge to glide back onto the frozen surface of the pond, gaining speed and watching what could only be magic appearing behind her all the way. She ran and slid in loops, trailing snowflakes and frost and delicate ice patterns across the surface of the pond as her laughter echoed through the empty forest. 

As she skidded on a turn, she laughed and instinctively threw her arms out for balance. But then her breath was knocked out of her as a cold wind suddenly picked her up and hurled her straight into the air, and she shrieked. Tumbling head over heels, she tried to pull her arms in, but as she moved to wrap them around herself her direction abruptly changed to follow the movement. 

It only took one more jarring turn to figure out that she could control it, and then she laughed elatedly again, all terror gone. She carefully lifted one arm up and lost her breath when she was jerked immediately in a different direction.

Taking note, she threw both arms out wildly and was buffeted up by the steady wind, leveling off high above the tree line and hovering in the night sky. The stars were shining above her and the air was crisp and cool, blowing through her hair. She could feel her cloak billowing in the wind, could see the light of the moon, could feel the laughter and cheer growing in her like it was a physical thing, and then she looked down.

The pond was completely frosted over, intricate designs in the ice visible from all the way up here, and for a moment, it seemed like everything was infinite.

She was abruptly reminded of the fact that it was not when it was made very apparent that she didn’t actually have control over her newfound ability to fly. The wind thinned out and then disappeared, and that was when she started falling. Of course, she landed face first into a tree and smacked into what felt like every branch on the way down, and she groaned when she bellyflopped onto a particularly wide one, her descent effectively halted.

Still, she could feel the elation in her entire body, so happy she felt like she would burst. She pushed herself up and shook her head to clear it, and then she hopped to her feet, staying crouched on the branch and beaming down at her own hands when the ice magic spread across it at her touch.

From her new vantage point perched in the tree, she could see the lights of a village in the distance, and she only took a second to think about it before her excitement expanded and she took off with ease, letting the wind carry her towards it.

The flight was exhilarating, though her landing was less than grateful and left her sprawled in the snow. Jumping to her feet, she was too ecstatic to care, already brushing herself off and smiling at the people milling about. There were cheerful fires burning throughout the streets, lighting the way, and people moved from house to house, chatting quietly. Nobody was really responding to her, but she was flying too high to care. Somebody would want to share this with her when they saw what she could do.

And then that train of thought died when a person passed right through her.

They walked directly into her, and instead of feeling the collision, all Trini felt was _empty_. She paled, the smile immediately dying on her lips, and panic gripped her so tightly she couldn’t move. It was like her heart stopped beating, like her stomach turned itself inside out, everything becoming both dulled and hypersensitive all at the same time. It was like her insides were being torn apart, like something was shriveling up her soul, and it _hurt_.

Trini was left with her hand pressed against her chest as the sensation slowly faded, disappearing with the body of the person who had walked right through her, but her reprieve didn’t last as suddenly it seemed as if every person in the village was making to pass right though her.

They couldn’t see her. It was like she wasn’t even there.

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to keep control of herself, blindly picking a direction and scrambling away with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She gritted her teeth, pushing through the crowd and stumbling when she couldn’t physically make contact with them, her hands passing through empty air, and she finally managed to get away and take cover behind one of the stone buildings. Sinking down to the ground and curling into herself, she clutched at her chest and pressed herself into the solid wall at her back, heedless of the snow covering the ground.

Her heartbeat was thudding loudly in her ears, and she took a shuddering breath and swiped at her eyes, hands shaking as she slowly lifted her gaze to the sky. The sense of peace and wonder was gone now, thoroughly crushed by what had just happened, and all she could do was stare at the moon and try not to cry.

She wasn’t sure if she succeeded, but it didn’t matter anyways – there was no one around to see it.

 

_Her name was Trini, and she was Jack Frost._

 

_How did she know that? The Moon told her so._

_But that was all he ever told her._

 

_And that, was a long, long time ago._

 

 

 

— — 300 years later — — 

 

 

A burst of cold air blows through the busy streets, past the people and cars and buildings, and nobody pays it any mind as it goes, whipping up snowflakes and winter air. Laughing freely, Trini spreads her arms out and lets the wind carry her upwards towards the sky, spiraling wildly and letting the exhilaration leak into her heart. She blows through the city, in and out of the unsuspecting masses of peoples’ lives, and it’s only when she spots a wide open park that she expertly tilts her arms and alters her flight.

Landing gracefully on the wide branch of a bare oak tree, she crouches down and props her elbows up on her knees, surveying the new area around her. There’s a group of children chasing each other around below her, and Trini softens, blinking a few errant snowflakes out of her eyes.

She tilts her head and considers them as she shuffles backwards so she can lean against the sturdy tree trunk, wondering why this has caught her attention. Humming, she swings her legs down to hang on either side of the branch and adjusts her frosty beanie with one hand as she gets comfortable.

Something tugs at her chest, something warm and fuzzy and painful, and she blinks. It’s an _old_ feeling, one that she thinks she should recognize, and she furrows her brow. Her eyes sweep over the children as she tries to puzzle it out, wondering why the scene is so familiar, but soon it slips away and all she’s left feeling is the familiar emptiness again. 

She easily refocuses on the children again to distract herself, something she’s gotten quite apt at over the centuries, and when she sees that they’ve moved on to lying around, she smiles softly. 

With the wind blowing encouragement around her, she brings her feet up onto the branch and lifts one hand to brush her hair out of her face, ignoring the snowflakes that always find a way into it. She idly waves the fingers of her hand as she props her elbow up on her bent knee and leans her head against her perpetually cold knuckles. The air sparkles silver, magic forming in front of her, and she feels herself calming as she watches the smattering of snowflakes materialize. 

Taking a deep breath, she brings her hand closer to her face and then blows the amassed snowflakes in the direction of the gathered group of children. They float down elegantly, dancing in the wind and landing above their heads, and Trini glances upwards when snow starts falling from the sky and follows suit, thick and fluffy and enough to leave a nice layer on the ground. 

The answering gasps of wonder bring a bigger smile to her face, and Trini leans forward to see the children jumping to their feet and shrieking in excitement with their hands up.

She just brought them a snow day.

The wind carries the sounds of the happiness up to her, and Trini smiles softly, watching as they play. She stays in the tree, but continues to use her magic to create the ideal conditions for them.

Eventually, she calls the wind back to her and lifts off the branch, making sure to create a few extra fluffy snow piles as she leaves the park and soars down the street. The windows frost over as she flies past them, and she grins at her fleeting reflection. She’s Jack Frost, and though it may not quite be winter anymore, she still has some joy to spread.

 

Later, when the sun starts to set, people retreat to their houses for the day and the streets of the city slowly empty, leaving Trini by herself with her snowflakes. Loneliness makes its presence known again, leeching in like the cold that never seems to bother her, and Trini shakes her head and focuses on flying. She may be alone, but the children had been happy for the afternoon, and it was because of something she did. It's enough for now, and with one last contented exhale, Trini lets herself land on top of the tallest building in the area, settling on the open rooftop with a slow sigh.

Trini thinks, sometimes, that she was never freed from that frozen pond, that she’s still floating in frigid water somewhere, trapped. It’s been centuries, but she’s come no closer to uncovering why the Man in the Moon did this to her, why he would condemn her to such a lonely fate. It’s no different now – people still can’t see or hear her, and they’ll still walk through her if she isn’t careful, but the memory of that first night, cold and alone, still chills her to the bone.

Closing her eyes and blowing out a breath, Trini tilts her head back against the wall and idly swings her legs over the ledge, reassuring herself that the wind is pushing back just enough to protect her should she fall – given the fact that she can also fly, she isn’t too worried.

The sound of laughter still echoes through her mind from this morning in the park, and Trini mulls over the fact that she’s never had anything like that before. She knows better than to feel sorry for herself, but she’s been spending centuries looking for an answer to why she’s here.

The world is warmer nowadays, better than when Trini woke up alone in a time humanity has deemed the ‘Dark Ages’. Beings had shown up to help protect humankind, Guardians of great power, and the balance of the world is now tilted in favour of goodness, hope and dreams.

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny. The Tooth Fairy. Sandman. All there to protect the children, and therefore the world.

She’s seen their work, of course, and not for the first time, she considers reaching out to them, or to the other myths and legends like her that humans actually believe in, like the groundhog or the leprechaun. But just as all the other times, she immediately wrinkles her nose at the idea. Given her status as one forgotten and ignored, she isn’t too keen on the pity and derision she’s bound to garner.

Either way, the Guardians do their jobs well, and over the years Trini has only watched from a distance as they chase away fear, keep darkness at bay. All Trini can do is bring ice and snow and cold.

She idly starts to create a block of ice in midair, concentrating on it for a moment before deciding to form it to resemble a tiger. Chipping away at it with her magic, she makes a pleased sound when it’s completed and gently cups her hands around it so she can breathe magic into it. She brings it to life and smiles when the manifestation begins to move, stretching itself out and beginning to pace through the air in front of her.

The night is clear, and the moon is visible, shining high in the sky. As usual, she regards it with a mix of wonder and trepidation, still not sure if she’s bitter about what it’s done, even after all this time.

The wind lightly ruffles her hair, a gentle breeze constant in its stability, and she gives the moon one last look before returning her attention to her tiger. She doesn’t know how much time passes, doesn’t have much need to care, but out of the corner of her eye, she sees a glimmer of light and can already feel her shoulders loosening.

Not a moment later, a whisper of gold dances past her through the air, and Trini tilts her head back and smiles as more follows after it. It’s well and truly nighttime now, and that means the children are asleep. 

It’s time for their dreams.

“Right on time, Sandman,” she murmurs, taking in the golden swirls of dreamsand that fly through the air. They soar in every direction, off towards what Trini knows for a fact is the entire world, and settles back to watch, more relaxed than she’s been all day.

She can just barely see her reflection in her moving tiger ice sculpture, and the dreamsand illuminating her face makes her look… bright. The way she could have been, she supposes. Giving herself half a smile, she shakes her head and waves away the dusting of dreamsand that’s floating around her head, letting it rejoin the masses headed into the houses and off into the distance.

It never fails to amaze her, the way the dreamsand will appear and fill the world. She’s been around for a long time and traveled the entire globe, explored the farthest reaches of the planet, and yet she’s never found anything that even comes close to rivalling the sight of dreamsand lighting up the night sky. Wherever she is, no matter the city, the country, the continent, the Sandman’s dreamsand always finds her come nightfall. She’s even tried chasing it more than a few times, following the trail through the sky, although she’s never known what she was searching for. 

A tendril of dreamsand reaches down for her again, swirling above her head for a moment before taking a form almost identical to her tiger and prancing around, and Trini smiles.

An eternity alone never seems so bad when she’s surrounded by dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also preemptively I don’t ship these characters in the actual Rise of the Guardians movie, at all, as a general announcement

Kimberly smiles when she sees that everything has turned gold, lifting her chin and closing her eyes as her dreamsand flies out in every direction. It fills the sky, sparkling soft and golden, and she inhales deeply and sighs when the night air brushes past her, feeling it start to reach the children. The dreamsand is growing, changing and evolving as their dreams begin to shape it, and even asleep they’re turning her magic into something more.

It’s calm where she’s floating high in the sky, nothing but stars and dreamsand around her for miles, and Kimberly revels in the peace this brings. It’s the best part of her duties as Sandman, and she’s never forgotten the gifts she’d been given to make this possible. Everything is bright and beautiful, and she lets herself smile proudly at her work.

Suddenly a different beam of light cuts across the sky, bright and visible for miles, and Kimberly’s eyes widen. It’s familiar but also so foreign, because it’s been centuries since she’s seen it last, but she remembers exactly what they mean – the _aurora borealis_. 

Hurriedly closing her eyes again, she furrows her brow and unleashes as much dreamsand as she can in one go, spreading it out to cover the world and then quickly forming herself a golden pterodactyl, her easiest and most familiar mode of transportation. The pterodactyl blinks at her and opens its mouth in a soundless call, glittering as it shakes its head high and flaps its wings, and even without her instruction it knows to turn directly for the North Pole.

Kimberly flies up to settle on its back, holding on securely as she looks around at the wild mess of dreamsand she’s made. It’s enough for one night, and she pats the pterodactyl once to let it know to soar off into the sky.

 

 

 

“This better be important, jolly red,” Zack calls out as he pops his head through the door, precariously balancing an armful of half painted Easter eggs with a paintbrush in his other hand. “It’s three days before Easter, and I will kick your ass if you did this just to mess with me.” 

Jason doesn’t bother responding, bent over the control panel worriedly and staring up at the giant globe in the middle of his workshop even when Zack comes over to deposit all the eggs on the table.

Billy is already there, flitting around on his wings and listing destinations for his fairies, teeth and the locations for them to collect them at, and Kimberly flies in through the open skylight, a loose burst of dreamsand announcing her presence even before her pterodactyl lands gently in an open area and lets her dismount. She smiles and pats its neck as she jumps off to hover just above the floor, and it gently headbutts her in the shoulder before dissolving back into pure dreamsand. 

Zack doesn’t pause his rant as he waves away the stray dusting of dreamsand that now floats over them, seeming to only gain traction, and Jason finally turns away from his control panel.

“Of course it’s important. Honestly, you really think that low of me?”

“Um, _yes_? Do you not remember last time? Billy, help me out here man.” 

Billy hums, stretching out his arms and then bringing his hands up in front of his face. “Well, he is right, this is the sort of thing we pull on each other all the time. Remember – ” 

Furrowing her brow, Kimberly half tunes out her friends as she focuses on ensuring that her dreamsand is spreading to everyone properly. It doesn’t need too much guidance at this stage, but it always makes her feel better to know that she’s helped it along in any way she can.

A flash of moonlight catches her attention, and she blinks herself back to awareness when she sees that the Moon is directly above them, shining down through the skylight insistently and landing on the crest stuck in the centre of the floor.

“Guys,” she tries insistently, and then flicks tiny dreamsand arrows at them when they ignore her. The arrows burst upon contact and finally get their attention, and she only grins at their protests as they turn to her. “Guys, look,” she points unnecessarily at the Moon, and they all fall silent.

“’Sup Zordon?” Zack calls out, crossing his arms, and Jason takes a step forward.

“Zordon, why did you call us all here?” he asks, and in response the moonlight begins to shift, angling towards the crest and slowly forming a shadowed image.

It takes a moment, but they all stiffen in recognition. It’s a silhouette they know well – Rita Repulsa, also known as the Bogeyman. 

“It’s her,” Zack breathes, and Billy’s face is grim as he rises a little in the air before resettling to hover at Jason’s side. Jason’s face is pale as he stares at it, and Kimberly feels dread beginning to drip down her neck. 

The image of Rita fades, and then Kimberly jumps in surprise when her pocket starts vibrating. She slaps her hand over it, realizing that her coin has warmed and wants her attention, and she pulls it out. Seeing the others do the same, she holds it up to see the pink centre glowing brighter than ever before, and then casts her eyes back to the Moon.

“Zordon? What’s going on?” 

All their coins pulse brighter, and then they whirl around when there’s a cranking sound and a small podium begins to rise out of the ground, exactly in the centre of the room.

“He’s choosing a new Guardian,” Billy says in a hushed whisper, slowly fluttering closer, and Kimberly floats after him, feeling Zack and Jason follow.

Kimberly suppresses a shudder at what this implies, that Zordon thinks they need help to defeat Rita this time. They all watch with bated breath as the beam of moonlight slowly moves across the floor towards the raised podium, and as soon as it hits it a little section on the surface opens up, revealing another coin identical to all their own. It’s yellow, and Kimberly stares at it, entranced.

“What do you think? Turkey? Headless Horseman?” Zack whispers, and Kimberly smacks him in the arm without taking her eyes off the moonbeam. Something starts to shimmer above the coin, and a crystalline snowflake slowly materializes.

Kimberly blinks, running through every myth and legend she can think of, and Jason speaks up at the same time that she figures it out.

“Jack Frost,” he finally says mildly, surprise colouring his tone, and the moonbeam slowly fades, leaving them to stare at the shimmering snowflake.

“Wait, but – Jack Frost is actually real?” Kimberly furrows her brow in confusion, and when the others all turn to her she shifts uncomfortably. “Well, I mean, no one’s ever met them before, right? I kind of figured that maybe it really was all just a legend.” 

“How have we never met them?” Zack asks, scratching his head.

“Probably because they do their very best to avoid us,” Billy informed them, still flitting around the room, “Well, not just us in particular. Everybody. They avoid everybody. But my fairies have caught a glimpse of them before.” 

Jason nods firmly, crossing his arms and tilting his head up at the Moon, and Kimberly decides they’ve wasted enough time.

“Alright then,” Kimberly snatches the yellow coin and draws herself up, her dreamsand glowing brighter, “So that’s what we do. Now how do we find Jack Frost?” 

 

 

 

Still alone on the deserted rooftop, Trini hums quietly as she spins one of her dagger handles around her finger, her head tilted back to watch the dreamsand flow through the air. Smiling gently, she catches her dagger one last time and holsters it, stretching her arms out and making the split–second decision to jump up and angle herself east, wondering if she can fly fast enough to meet the sunrise.

She feels the tug on her clothing as the wind bolsters the movement, and then lands delicately on a telephone wire, delighting in the way it frosts over under sneakers at the contact. It’s still enchanting, the patterns of ice that come from using her powers, and she steps blithely across the now frozen wire, holding her arms out unnecessarily like a circus performer.

Something darts past her, something dark, and she whips around easily, immediately on guard and grabbing her two dagger handles from her waistband without so much as a slight hesitation even though she’s still balanced precariously on the wire. They frost over at her command, twin blades forming out of ice, and she holds them at the ready as she inches forward and scans the air around her. Another flash of movement draws her attention at street level, a blur disappearing around the corner of an alley, and Trini follows. 

It’s gone by the time she lands, but she carefully searches her surroundings for it in case. She thinks it looked like some kind of rocky apparition, partially made up of roiling black smoke, but it was moving too fast for her to be sure. She takes off again to get an aerial view, not spotting anything, but then she senses something at the other end of the alley and darts over.

Landing soundlessly, Trini holds both her daggers up defensively and readies herself again. She doesn’t see anything except more dreamsand, maybe a little more concentrated than usual, and she slowly blows out a breath.

“I’m really sorry,” Trini hears distantly, and she only has a second of confusion at the new voice before a bag is thrown over her, and then she feels herself get picked up and tossed through the air. She passes through a portal, feeling the distinctive wave of magic, and then lands ungracefully on what feels like a wood floor.

It’s warmer here, wherever they are, and there’s two people arguing over her head, muffled voices slowly becoming clearer as the sounds of the portal she was just pulled through disappear.

“Really, Kim? This was your best idea?”

“Actually, it was Zack’s.”

“Zack isn’t even here!”

“Jason, that’s because you’re the idiot who left him in the North Pole with no supervision! Don’t look at me.” 

Trini slices through the material of the bag and wrestles it off of her head, using the wind to bolster herself to her feet and getting ready to blast whoever was unfortunate enough to try kidnapping her, but the sight that greets her is enough to make her forget all of that, along with everything else up to and including her own name.

Because standing there in the centre of the room, hovering and glowing and somehow _existing_ , is a girl surrounded by light. Her short hair is fluttering gently in a nonexistent breeze, shining and somehow the most breathtaking thing Trini has ever seen, and Trini can’t help but stare, the surprise enough for her to let her ice blades dissolve into nothing.

The girl is wearing a leather jacket over a pink tank top that should be clashing horribly with the golden glow surrounding her, but somehow, someway, with what must be a magic Trini has never seen in all her centuries of living, she pulls it off. Trini wouldn’t be surprised if a swell of music suddenly filled the room, an entire orchestra appearing to provide background and make this moment even more striking. She’s all gold and glitter, dripping magic, and Trini tries to swallow. She’s also edged in gold, from her head to the tips of her boots, and Trini abruptly comes back to herself. The dreamsand around her unmistakable, and that can only mean one thing.

“You’re… _you’re_  the Sandman?” Trini can’t help but gape at her, completely dumbstruck, and there’s an unreadable look on the other girl’s face to match Trini’s. “ _Sandman_?” 

The girl – Sandman – blinks a few times in rapid succession and opens her mouth a few more times before giving herself a little shake and floating forward. 

“Kimberly,” she introduces herself, voice clear and almost melodic in the way it fills the space between them. She gives her a hesitant smile, lifting her hand in a wave, and Trini stares.

This is the person who creates the dreamsand, who’s been spreading it across the world every night, the one constant in her life, and at times the only thing that’s been making Trini’s eternity bearable. Honestly, she’s always been awed by the dreamsand, but this… this is so much better. This is so much  _more_.

Somebody clears their throat, and Trini whips her head around and hastily takes a step back, dagger handles raised again as she turns. Across the room, dressed in boots and a giant red winter coat with a _sword_  strapped around his waist… is Santa Claus. A blond Santa Claus, young with short hair and a boyish face, and he smiles sheepishly as he extends a hand towards her.

Trini blinks. That seems to be all she can do right now. 

“Um… hi,” he says when she gives him no response, “I’m Jason. You’re… Jack Frost, right?”

She glowers at him, slowly angling herself so she can keep them both in front of her, and she’s pleased to see he takes an uncertain step back.

“What do you want from me?” she scowls, fairly certain now that she’s not in any danger but still not willing to chance it.

“Uh… Billy!” Jason calls out, turning his head, and Trini takes another step back, unable to help glancing at Kimberly and then hurriedly away.

A moment later, the actual _Tooth Fairy_ comes flying out of one of the long hallways, and Trini blinks at him too. Wearing a lance strapped to his back, he’s dressed all in blues with gossamer wings extending from his shoulder blades fluttering like a hummingbird’s, and Trini has to squint to properly catch sight of the little fairies flitting around him, smaller than the palm of her hand.

“What the hell is going on,” she says flatly, pulling her beanie down securely over her ears and shifting on her feet, resolutely refusing to turn back to Kimberly.

“Well… we’re the Guardians!” Jason says, bright smile wavering until Billy nods enthusiastically, “And welcome to the North Pole.” He spreads his arms out, and Trini takes the chance to look around, realizing that she’s actually standing in the middle of Santa’s workshop, with elves and yetis scattered all around on the lower levels making toys. She does her best to hide her surprised sense of wonder and makes sure to keep her expression shuttered, but it’s a little difficult. Still, she only gives herself a moment before spinning back to face them.

“What, you figured after three hundred years it was time for an introduction via kidnap?” she comments dryly, letting her dagger blades dissolve and tucking one of the handles away before stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets and doing a slow turn, craning her neck back to take it all in. She keeps a grip on her other dagger, still cautious about the reason for all of this, but it’s mostly for the comfort the familiar hold brings.

“Yeah! Well, not only that, but yes!” Billy says brightly, “Come on, we’ve got something important to show you.” 

There’s a sudden uproar from some of the yetis, and Jason gives her an apologetic look before turning and leaning over the railing.

“Zack,” he yells, “Back to the control room, please and thank you.” 

A blurry figure speeds out of the fray and then up the stairs, disappearing with a burst of wind before popping up in front of them, and Jason gives a practiced sigh.

Trini doesn’t realize that she’s drawn her dagger again, ice blade fully formed, until Billy makes an excited sound and darts forward to examine it, twisting this way and that to try and get a better look.

“Did you make those? How do they work? Is it ice? Of course it’s ice, do they melt? I’m assuming they carry a self-contained temperature field, magic, can you do it with anything or is it specific to those grips you’re holding?” He continues until Jason steps forward to give him a gentle tug. 

“Maybe questions later, yeah?” 

“Right. Sorry,” Billy says sheepishly, but Trini gives him a small smile before turning to Zack.

The newcomer grins at her, all flashy teeth and dark hair, and Trini raises an eyebrow at him, not blinking when he responds by waggling his own.

“…Alright, well, roll call,” Trini points at them each in turn. “Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy,” her breath catches again when her eyes land on Kimberly, and she hurriedly turns away, “Sandman… and who’s this one?” Trini hooks her thumb over her shoulder in his direction, and Zack scowls at her. She smirks, both of them knowing full well she knows who he is, and then blinks innocently around the room.

“ _Bunny_ ,” he stresses, “The Easter Bunny, in fact.” He twirls a paintbrush around, and Trini thinks she sees a weapon strapped to his back too. “I’m Zack.” 

“Right. I’m… Jack Frost, as you all seem to know. Name’s Trini,” she responds shortly, “What do the legendary Guardians want with me?” 

Jason lifts his arms as he steps forward, indicating all of the space around them. “It really was time for us to introduce ourselves, but more importantly, we have news! As of today, right now… Well, you’re a Guardian!” 

Trini raises an incredulous eyebrow and lets out a single laugh, a disbelieving smile playing on her lips, and Jason looks confused. “What?” 

“Just like that? And you really think I want to be stuck with that many responsibilities? Okay,” she drawls as she turns on her heel and gives a two fingered salute, finally tucking her dagger away as she goes, “See ya.” 

She hears them start to protest behind her, but she only stuffs her free hand into her jacket pocket and strolls away, getting about halfway to the door before someone grabs her elbow. The sensation is strange after spending so much time alone, and she stiffens instinctively at the contact.

“Wait, Trini,” Kimberly is soft, but she lets go of her immediately, looking apologetic. Her light is so bright and golden that Trini can’t actually tell if it’s hurting her eyes or not. She also can’t tell if she cares one way or the other. 

“I don’t think you understand exactly what it is we do.” Kimberly floats around to get in front of her and then rises towards the giant globe towering in the middle of the room. Trini focuses on it properly, seeing how it’s dotted with tiny golden lights on every continent, and she tilts her head to the side. “Each of those lights is a child who _believes,”_  Kimberly tells her, coming back down to hover at her side, “Every one of them believes in us, believes in hope and wonder and dreams.” 

Standing at the control panel again, Jason nods empathetically and holds his hand out as well. “And good or bad, naughty or nice… We protect them.” 

It’s all very dramatic, and Trini casts another disbelieving glance around.

“…Okay,” Trini manages, “So what makes you think I want to be a Guardian? Why are you even going around picking a new Guardian? I gotta say, I think you got something mixed up here because I’m not exactly qualified.” 

Sure, she knows a couple things about bringing joy to children, but still none of them can see her. None of them believe in her. Kimberly catches her eye again, glowing so brightly even though she’s not doing anything in particular, and Trini works very hard not to stare.

“You think _we_ picked you?” Zack laughs, lacing his fingers behind his head, “No way dude. You were chosen by Zordon, just like we were.”

“…What the hell is a Zordon,” Trini says flatly, casting her eyes to the ceiling and bringing her hands up to rub at her forehead.

Billy laughs. “Zordon, the Man in the Moon.” 

That’s enough to grab her attention, and she whips around, widening her eyes at the mention of the Moon. “What?”

“Man in the Moon,” Jason repeats matter-of-factly, pointing upwards, “He’s the one who picked all of us, and now he’s picked you.” 

“He… talks to you guys?” Trini asks, hating how vulnerable the sentence makes her sound, and she immediately raises her chin defiantly, trying to hide it.

Kimberly shrugs, shedding dreamsand and sending it fluttering down with the motion, and Trini is only a little bit captivated. “Not really. Maybe every century or so, whenever something big happens.” 

Taking that in, Trini narrows her eyes at the Moon, glad for something else to focus on. “Well if he wanted me to be a Guardian, why not tell me that himself? What’s so important to him that he decided to do something now instead of ignoring me like always?”  

“Rita Repulsa is back, and the Moon thinks we need your help to defeat her,” Zack explains without preamble, voice suddenly serious, and Trini glances around at the others for a sign that he’s joking.

“Rita Repulsa? The Bogeyman?” Trini scoffs, “Everyone knows she went out with the Dark Ages.” 

Jason shakes his head, and Billy holds his hands up imploringly, always in motion. “That’s true. But she’s back now, and apparently stronger than ever. The Moon thinks you’ll help us.” 

The moon is telling them they have to be a team, essentially, and Trini isn’t down for any of it. “I’m not – no one even believes in me! I’m invisible! It’s like I don’t even exist, how am I supposed to be any help?” 

She can see them trying to come up with an answer, and she curls her shoulders in protectively, hands back in her pockets. She knows they won’t find a good one. 

“Hey, Trini?” Kimberly pipes up, floating forward and waiting for her to nod before tilting her head to the side. She gives her half a smile, almost tentative, and Trini’s stomach flips. “Before you make up your mind, walk with me? I want to show you something.” 

Trini narrows her eyes at her, already on guard, but eventually she exhales and lifts one shoulder. “…Sure,” she grumbles, seeing no harm in hearing her out but refusing to look up to meet her eyes. Instead, she casts one last glance behind her and rolls her eyes when she sees the boys. Jason is beaming at her, Billy waves, and Zack just crosses his arms over his chest and smirks.

Turning away, Trini waits until Kimberly floats down a different hall than the one she’d come in by, hovering a foot off the ground, and Trini paces after her, keeping her hands in her pockets with no intention of breaking the silence. It’s quiet once they move away from the noise of the central room, and Trini settles more comfortably into the state she’s known for centuries. They reach a solid wooden door, taller and more ornate than any of the others they’ve passed, and Kimberly reaches for the handle.

“Jason’s workshop,” Kimberly tells her, pushing open the door, “He won’t mind us using it for a couple minutes.” 

Trini only nods, following after her, and it’s when the door falls shut behind them that Kimberly finally turns to face her directly.

“So what’s your deal?” 

Trini shrugs, averting her eyes. “I don’t know, I guess you’ll have to ask your all–knowing Zordon for that answer.”

“But what do you do?” Kimberly presses, still hovering in the air and shedding dreamsand, lighting the room with a gentle golden glow. Trini swallows hard and shakes her head.

“I just move around, help where I can.” She begins to wander around, taking everything in as she keeps her hands in her jacket pockets. “Bring a couple of snow days here and there, nothing compared to the Guardians.” 

Kimberly hums, and Trini chances a look at her, feeling almost shy and hesitantly stating, “I’ve seen what you do, and it’s… really cool.” Kimberly looks at her in surprise, and Trini blushes, hastening to add, “You guys all do good work, all – all of you… Protecting everybody and…stuff.”  

She regrets opening her mouth, but Kimberly’s expression is definitely some kind of pleased now. “Anyways, yeah, but… I don’t think I can do anything like that. I don’t have a holiday, or – or a tradition or anything in my name. They don’t believe in me.” 

“You were _chosen_ ,” Kimberly says earnestly, and Trini looks up to see her rooting around in her pocket before coming up with a small yellow coin and holding it out to her. “Whether you like it or not, you’re a Guardian now, and you’re stuck with us.” 

Trini doesn’t take it from her, not knowing exactly what the coin is but feeling a strange kind of attachment to it even from here. Shaking her head, Trini leans against the edge of the workbench. 

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be a Guardian,” she says dryly, “Protector of right and good isn’t really my schtick, I’m more of a… well, a winter sprite. Small scale. I don’t really do the whole…” She trails off and ends up waving a hand at all of Kimberly, not knowing exactly what she’s trying to articulate. “I’m not your kind of good. Different league.”   

“You think I was always able to see the – the _light_ in the world like I do now?” Kimberly asks wryly, leaning casually back against the workbench next to her. It’s littered with Jason’s projects, bits and pieces of half constructed devices and toys, but also tools that Trini thinks must belong to Billy.

“I know how hard it is to hold on to… hold on to the good. I almost lost it a couple times myself,” Kimberly gives her half a smile, and Trini has to remind herself that she is literally glowing, so she isn’t hallucinating this. “But I never gave it up, not completely. Me, and the others too, we’ve all had moments where we almost fell, almost lost ourselves.”

“That supposed to reassure me?” 

Kimberly laughs. “We were never supposed to be Guardians, not as humans, not until the moments we were. Our lives before this, they were different. Separate.” 

Brow furrowing, Trini tilts her head at the mention of their human lives, completely different from her own experience, but Kimberly continues before she can question her. “But the Moon chose us for a reason.” 

“What was your reason?” Trini asks before she can stop herself, and Kimberly gives her a look, a mix of wistfulness and pride.

“Dreams. It’s what I put into the world,” she tells her, “And what I protect in children.” 

She turns and extends her hand again, the yellow coin resting in her palm, and Trini looks at it hesitantly. 

“Now you’ve been chosen too,” Kimberly says quietly, “And you may not know why, but there’s only one way to find out.” 

Trini moves her stare from Kimberly to the coin a couple times, still unsure, but eventually she sighs and decides to go with whatever weird little feeling is growing inside of her. She really hopes that feeling isn’t entirely caused by Kimberly’s proximity.

Reaching out, Trini slowly picks it up, careful not to touch Kimberly’s hand in the process. As soon as she makes contact, it flares so brightly she has to shut her eyes, flinching away but also feeling an overwhelming sense of calmness, of  _right_ , a sense that she’s just found something so important she’s been missing it her whole life.

“Woah,” she whispers once the light fades, cautiously turning back to examine the coin. “What…?” 

There’s a commotion outside, and then rapid knocking before the door is thrown open. Zack is there, red-faced and breathing heavily, and Trini jerks back in surprise.

“We have a problem. Trouble at the Tooth Palace,” he tells them, tightly forcing a sense of calm. “Billy’s gone back already, I told him we would follow.” 

“Trini, we could use your help,” Jason says from behind him, worry pinching his features as he fits a hat over his head to complete his winter outfit.

“Well?” Kimberly turns to her, dreamsand glowing brighter as she readies herself and her shoulders set as she lifts higher into the air, looking altogether ready to charge into battle. “What do you say?”

Trini stares at her, flushing under her attention for reasons she doesn’t want to think about, and then she lets out a frustrated sigh and pushes off the table, shoving the coin into her pocket.

“Alright,” she tells them, ignoring their looks of relief and warning, “This isn’t me joining the team.” 

Grinning, Kimberly does a little twirl, dreamsand shimmering, and exclaims, “We’ll see. Time to go then!” In her haste to help Billy, Kimberly must forget how high she’s flying, because she turns and immediately bumps her forehead into the top ledge of the doorjamb, and it surprises a laugh out of Trini. Grumbling, Kimberly recovers and then pointedly lowers herself to move into the hallway without waiting for them, flying quickly and leading the way back towards the control room.

Trini summons up a wind to follow and gets in last just in time to hear Jason say, “We’ll take the sleigh, hurry up guys!” 

“The sleigh?” Trini narrows her eyes, “I’m not getting into some rickety old wooden cart.”

Kimberly laughs as she effortlessly shapes a bow out of dreamsand, plucking at the string experimentally. “You’re about to change your mind, I promise.”

She holds out her free hand, this time waiting for Trini to reach out for her, and Trini eyes her in surprise. Zack and Jason have disappeared down the stairs, and when Trini hesitantly gives Kimberly her hand, she gets a warm smile in response before she’s pulled off the ground. Kimberly grins determinedly and clasps their hands together properly, and Trini’s heart stutters.

Together they fly, and all she sees is gold.


	3. Chapter 3

They pile into the not–at–all–rickety sleigh and take off, an adventure in itself, and then Jason pulls a multicoloured globe out of his jacket, holding it up and giving them an eager look over his shoulder. Trini raises an eyebrow, trying to hide her confusion, and a quick glance around to see the reactions of the others doesn’t help.

“Tooth Palace,” Jason tells the globe, holding it up to his face and swirling it a couple times, and the magic inside forms a miniature version of the mountain Trini knows the palace is hidden inside. As soon as the image solidifies, he throws it ahead of them with a confident motion, and it bursts open into a massive portal. Trini instinctively closes her eyes as they fly through the barrier of magic, and when she opens them again they’re in a different sky, now flying above a rocky mountain range instead of a snowy landscape.

It’s just as impressive, but she doesn’t have any time to take it in because they’re immediately besieged by a wave of something wispy and _wrong_ , and Trini recoils in face of the nightmares.

“Rita,” Jason states darkly, pulling back on the reigns to bring the sleigh up to level. The scene in front of them is a mess, all smoke and dust and destruction, and Trini surveys it with a grim expression.

“Trini, take the reins for a second,” Jason passes them to her without waiting for an answer, and then he draws his sword and leaps straight up into the air, slashing through two of the nightmare putties. A handful of gleaming cylinders fall out of the rocky masses of smoke, clattering to the floor of the sleigh, and Trini ducks.

“They’re stealing the teeth!” Zack exclaims, and Trini chances a glance back to see him picking up one of the gold cylindrical objects. She gets distracted by the intense look of confusion on Kimberly’s face sitting next to him, and she momentarily forgets that she’s the one driving this sleigh as Kimberly hesitantly brushes some of the black sand off of her arm, rubbing it between her fingers and examining it closely.

“Watch out!” 

A jolt shocks Trini back into the present, and she turns to the front and yanks at the reins to avoid steering them right into a tower. It sends the sleigh careening wildly through all the other floating structures, and she frantically aims for the widest open space she can see.

The landing is shaky at best, but eventually the sleigh settles on the solid platform and shudders to a halt. Kimberly doesn’t wait for it to stop moving before surging upwards with a swirl of dreamsand, already loading up an arrow as she flies, and Zack follows suit. He aims at the closest nightmare putty and throws two eggs that explode into colored smoke before leaping off the sleigh, and Trini’s eyes widen when he pulls the weapon off his back and it turns out to be a battle–axe. Jason is fighting on a platform above them, and Trini pulls her daggers, summoning the blades as she lifts off into the air to join the fight.

It’s chaos, and she tries to keep watching for the others out of the corner of her eyes, Jason with his sword and Billy with a lance while Zack swings his battle–axe. Kimberly is hovering in midair amidst the largest mass of dreamsand Trini has ever seen, launching dreamsand arrows at the nightmare putties that explode on contact and turn the black back to a more recognizable gold, and Trini reminds herself to pay attention to her own fight.

Kimberly’s way seems to be the most effective method of disabling them, but all Trini can keep doing is slashing them apart with her daggers, dispersing them into dust. When they get too close she punches at them to freeze them over and then flips over the now immobile creatures to shatter them. 

She’s finding a rhythm, getting better at taking them out, but then she gasps when she sees a flash of blue and green, a desperate fairy weaving in and out of smoke. Not stopping to think, Trini leaps and snatches the tiny fairy out of the air, curving her body around it just seconds before a nightmare putty snaps at the space where it had been.

They’re only slowly gaining any ground against them, but then the putties abruptly pull a retreat, all turning back and vanishing into the sky and leaving the Guardians scattered around on various hanging platforms.

“They took the teeth! The fairies!” Billy cries out, darting around agitatedly through the tall structures and spires spread around the massive cavern, and Trini looks around. Other than a stray canister lying here and there, all the teeth seem to have been stolen, and the little fairy Trini had rescued appears to be the last one left. She lifts her hand up and carefully opens her fingers, looking over the fairy for any injuries, and the feeling of a little hand patting at her palm reassures her.

A shadow is suddenly cast over them as they group together, massive and menacing, and the little fairy squeaks and shoots towards Trini again, landing on her shoulder and then hiding away under her hair in her jacket collar. As they watch, the shadow slowly collects more of itself, all bits of darkness getting drawn into it, and then they’re faced with Rita Repulsa.

“Well, well, well,” Rita simpers, voice grating and harsh as she looks down at them. She’s just as imposing as the stories say and even more unsettling, and the air around them is suddenly heavy with something thick and cloying. It takes Trini a second to place it, and when she does it’s like her blood freezes in her veins.

It’s _fear_. 

“You’re Zordon’s new team then,” Rita muses, strolling around at a lazy pace, but she rounds the corner and then suddenly reappears on another platform, opposite where she had been standing before. “Hmm.”

“Why are you doing this, Rita?” Jason demands, spinning to face her and tightening the grip on his sword. “What do you want?” 

“What do I want?” Rita’s eyes widen and then she laughs, a sound completely devoid of happiness. “ _Maybe_ , I want what _you_ have,” she hisses, jabbing a finger at them, “To be believed in!” 

A sick feeling starts to rise in Trini’s chest when she realizes she knows exactly what Rita is talking about.

“Maybe I’m _tired_  of hiding under beds,” Rita growls, “Tired of being stuck in the shadows, tired of being trapped thanks to the actions of a self-righteous _Guardian_.” 

“Well maybe that’s where you belong!” Zack yells angrily. “We beat you once, and we can do it again!” His fists are clenched and his face twisted into a snarl, but when he speeds up and grabs for her again, the same thing happens – she seems to melt away, disappearing from existence just to pop back up on another platform, smirking and waving her fingers at him.

Now that she’s gotten a better view, Trini realizes that she’s using the shadows. Rita must be able to move within the darkness of them, transport herself around with them. She feels the slight flutter of wings against her neck and automatically raises a hand to support the little fairy hiding there, trying to soothe it as best as she can. 

Zack drops back down to their platform, glaring upwards, and Kimberly steps forward with her jaw clenched angrily, laying a supportive hand on Trini’s arm as she passes and glowing in a way that seems much more intimidating than before.

“Hang on,” Rita says, holding up a hand and sauntering forward to peer down at them, “Well, this is a different.” She chuckles, the sound grating, but all her attention is now on Trini. It’s a development Trini is absolutely not a fan of, and she stiffens as Rita continues to speak. “I mean, I knew he’d chosen these fools years ago, but you’re a new one, _Jack Frost_.” 

An unpleasant shiver runs over her at the way Rita says her name, and Trini’s grip tightens on her daggers. 

“Look at you, all together and yet still so powerless against me!” 

Kimberly tenses again and then snarls, charging at her with a yell with Zack and Jason quickly flanking her, but Rita only smirks. Before Kimberly can get close, a nightmare putty materializes directly in her path, smashing its fists together with a wordless roar and causing her to pull up short. They all gasp, flinching backwards, and Trini staggers away from where she was standing near the edge of the platform.

It’s the best look she’s gotten at one, and now she really wishes she hadn’t. The nightmare putty is big, angry and dangerously strong, and the feeling it brings with it is different from Rita’s, but awful just the same.

Rita only stands there and laughs, watching as a handful of nightmare putties swarm around while the first one lumbers up to her. “Easy there,” she snickers, holding out her hands in a mocking pretense of calming it down and patting it a couple times, “Easy.” 

They’re all waiting for her to make the next move, and Trini can see the glow of Kimberly’s light out of the corner of her eye, comforting in its presence.

“Look familiar, Sandman? Took me a while to perfect this little trick,” Rita taunts, turning back to them and holding out one of her hands, “Turning dreams into nightmares.” 

A dusting of black sand drifts out of her palm, obviously having come from the nightmare putty, but it’s only when Rita says the words that Trini finally makes the connection. The smoky sand that the putties are made of is almost the same as Kimberly’s dreamsand, muted black instead of gold and much less vibrant, and Trini’s eyes widen as she automatically turns to Kimberly.

Her eyes are narrowed and her jaw is clenched, and if Trini hadn’t been looking for it, she never would have seen the small spark of fear reveal itself. Trini is already moving towards her as her lips part in a soundless gasp, and Kimberly lets go of her bow and unclenches one of her fists just long enough to create a swirl of golden dreamsand and let it fall again.

“Oh, don’t be nervous,” Rita calls down to them, her voice causing Trini to stop in her tracks and whirl around to face her again, holding her daggers up. “It only riles them up more. They smell fear, you know,” Rita says, sounding exceptionally pleased with herself.

“Fear? What fear?” Zack yells up defiantly, putting himself in front of Billy who’s shooting backwards and forwards, flight unsure but glare strong, “Of you? No one’s been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!”

Rita sighs wistfully, choosing not to engage him. “Oh, the Dark Ages! How I miss them.” Her lips curl into a sinister grin. “Everyone so frightened and miserable, such happy times for me! Ah, the power I wielded.” 

Kimberly steps up to Trini’s side, their shoulders bumping into each other, and Trini feels some of her comfort cut through the uneasy atmosphere. Kimberly’s glow spreads and curls around her, reflecting off the ice of her daggers, and Trini takes a deep breath.

“But then the Man in the Moon had to interfere.” Rita sneers derisively at them before continuing to saunter around. “Zordon chose you to replace my fear with your _wonder_  and _light_ , lifting their hearts and giving them _hope_ ,” she practically spits out the words.

“Meanwhile everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream. Oh, there’s nothing to be afraid of, there’s no such thing as the Bogeyman!” she waves her hands around in an aggressive motion and narrows her eyes, promising, “Well… That’s all about to change.” 

As if on cue, there’s a sudden tremor, causing the many structures to rumble and shake, and Trini looks around in alarm.

“Oh!” Rita sounds delighted as she spins and spreads her arms to encompass the space around them, “It’s happening already.” 

“What is?” Trini gasps, feeling the floor tilt alarmingly under her feet. Kimberly grabs her arm, though Trini doesn’t know if it’s to help her catch her balance or her own.

“Children are waking up and realizing that the Tooth Fairy never came. I mean, such a little thing, but to a child?” Rita tuts and shakes her head. “Such a _shame_.” 

“What is it, what’s going on?” Trini asks again, whipping her head back and forth as the palace around them continues to shake, bits flaking off the walls and falling to the ground. 

Billy makes a pained noise and falters in his constant flight, wrapping his arms around himself as he dips, and Trini feels them all jerk forward.

“They – they don’t believe in me anymore,” Billy says in horror, several feathers falling off as he curls into himself, and Jason is quick to get in front of him, murmuring something low and quiet.

“Didn’t they tell you, Jack?” Rita turns her attention to Trini, and Trini grits her teeth and tilts her chin up, squaring her shoulders and returning Rita’s stare. Kimberly is defiant at her side, silently glaring so hard that Trini can practically feel the heat of it, but in that moment Rita ignores her to look Trini over with interest before continuing. “It’s great being a Guardian! But… there’s a catch.”

Her lips turn up in a wicked grin, and the nightmare putties start to coil behind her, growing larger. “If enough kids stop believing, everything they protect – wonder, hopes, dreams…” her voice is snide as she continues to stroll around, “It all goes away.” She mimes a puff of smoke and gives them a smile that’s all bared teeth. “And then, little by little… so do they.” 

Trini falters, surprise at the words breaking through.

“No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. Ah, can you imagine? No more dreams, nothing except _me_.” Rita spreads her arms, and Kimberly is practically vibrating with rage at Trini’s side. “Darkness, and fear,” Rita hisses, “That will be all the children of this world will know, once I destroy you.” 

She finally stops moving, drawing herself up and looking down on them with shadows spreading around the cavern. “It’s your turn not to be believed in.” 

At that Kimberly summons up her bow again and draws back an arrow without a word, sending Rita stumbling backwards to avoid it when she shoots it with unerring aim. Having had enough, Trini leaps into the updraft of a cold wind and charges at Rita. The others all follow suit, but Rita dodges between their attacks with only the slightest bit of effort. 

They manage to force her back to the edge of the platform, but then she cackles and dives right off, free falling through the cavern towards the peaceful wooded glen at the bottom.

Going after her, they all land in the clearing armed and ready to fight, but the area around them is light and deserted, no sign of Rita anywhere even though she had only struck the ground moments before them.

“She’s gone,” Jason says angrily, throwing his sword down so it gets stuck in the dirt. He and Zack start ranting at each other while Kimberly stares down at her hands with a furrowed brow, obviously trying to work something out, and Trini gives up on scanning the open area around them, finding no sign of Rita. 

Trying to control herself, Trini blows out a frosty breath and then turns towards the one spot of quiet in this group of people, instinct drawing her towards it after all the action.

“I’m sorry about the fairies,” Trini says quietly, coming over to crouch down next to Billy where he’s sitting next to a calm pool of water that takes up part of the clearing. She lets her blades dissolve and holsters her dagger handles, leaning her elbows on her knees.

“You should’ve seen them,” Billy murmurs, “They put up such a fight…” 

There comes a small squeaking sound right by Trini’s ear, and then the little fairy who had taken cover on her darts out, shooting right for Billy.

“Oh, one of you got away!” he gasps, holding his hands out and gently cupping the fairy to whisper something before holding his hands up so the fairy can fly. It doesn’t go far, zipping around somewhere above Trini’s head, and Trini watches with a small smile before turning back to Billy.

“Why did Rita take the teeth?” Trini questions, wanting to understand what use they could possibly have.

Billy shakes his head. “It’s not the teeth she wanted,” he sighs, shutting his eyes for a moment, “It’s the memories inside of them.”

“What do you mean?” Trini asks, furrowing her brow, “Memories?” 

“That’s why we collect the teeth,” Billy starts to explain. Behind her, Trini can feel the other three gathering around them, and Billy continues, “They hold the most important memories of childhood.”

He rises into the air and gestures for Trini to follow him, floating over the surface of the water, and Trini only hesitates for a moment before taking a step forward, letting the water freeze under her feet and create a path. “My fairies and I watch over them, and when someone needs to remember what’s important… We help them.” 

There’s a beautiful mural on the wall in front of them, depicting a Tooth Fairy holding out their hands to pass glowing teeth back to a grouping of humans, and Trini looks over the intricate colours and patterns with awe.

“We had everyone’s here. Yours too,” Billy adds offhandedly as he stares up at it, and Trini jerks her head, tearing her eyes away from the mural. 

“You… you had _my_ teeth here?” Trini says in shock, eyes widening. “My… memories?” 

“From when you were young,” Billy nods, eyes wide and expression earnest as he turns to her, “Before you became Jack Frost.”

“But – I wasn’t anyone before I was Jack Frost,” Trini stutters, taking a reflexive step back. “I – I wasn’t…” 

“Well of course you were,” Billy says when she doesn’t continue, furrowing his brow and tilting his head, “We were all someone before we were chosen.” 

“What?” Trini stares at him, then shifts her gaze to the others to see them all watching her with confusion. “The night at the pond, I just – I assumed… I…” Trini gasps, whipping her head back and forth, “Are you saying that I had a life before that?” Her heart is beating wildly in her ears, and she feels like her world might be shifting on its axis. “With – with a home… and a family?”

Hope is clear in her voice, and it’s _painful_ the way it’s taking over her entire being right now.

“You really don’t remember?” Billy ventures, and she shakes her head, raising a hand to push her hair out of her face.

“All these years, the answers were right here,” she whispers in disbelief, instinctively finding Kimberly’s eyes before looking away. “If I find my memories then I’ll know why I’m here! You have to show me!” 

The ice under her feet is spreading, her power leaking out of her as she gets more worked up, but Trini can’t bring herself to try reigning it in.

“I can’t, Trini. Rita has them,” Billy reminds her regretfully, twisting his hands together, and Trini exhales and falters in her pacing. 

“Then we have to get them back!” 

Billy winces and the ground shakes again, another tremor running all through the walls reminding Trini of the things at stake, much greater than just her memories. Kimberly, still floating above the ground, steadies Zack with a hand on his shoulder.

“The children,” Billy breathes, face crumpling as more of his feathers float to the ground. The mural behind him starts to fade, bits of colour flaking off and cracks crawling through it, and Trini stills. 

“We’re too late,” he says in dismay, “Too late…” 

“No,” Jason says determinedly, balling his hands into fists, “No, there has to be a way, there has to be something we can do!” Zack is nodding as well, a fierce look on his face, and Kimberly bites her lip as she twists her hands together. “We can’t be too late, we can make them believe again!” 

“Well, why don’t… _we_ collect the teeth?” Trini says hesitantly, shrugging when they all turn to her. “Kids wake up to see their teeth gone, they assume it was the Tooth Fairy, belief restored,” Trini says, tipping her head back and forth as she speaks.

Everyone seems to mull her words over, and one by one they brighten at the idea.

“Bet I can collect more teeth than you can,” Zack teases, elbowing Jason in the side, and Kimberly scoffs.

“Please, like either of you are going to beat me?” She flips her hair dramatically and ramps up her glow, sending golden light across the clearing. Trini is transfixed by the way it reflects off the frozen water, and she almost misses Billy’s hesitation.

“That’s – there’s seven continents, _millions_ of kids, I don’t have my fairies to help us – ”

Jason smiles at him. “Do you know how many toys I deliver in one night?”

“How many dreams I spread?” Kimberly spreads her arms, letting off a dusting of dreamsand.

“And how many eggs I hide in one day?” Zack adds, grinning at him and then turning to Trini. “We’re all in, what about you, Frosty?” 

“Oh, it is _on_ ,” she laughs, and her breath catches when Kimberly tackles her in an excited hug and then urges them all back up to the sleigh, pulling her by the hand.

“Come on then,” she gestures for the boys to follow, “Time for us to get to work!”  

 

They go on a race across the world, each gathering teeth in an attempt to outdo the others, and Trini lets herself get swept up in the elation of it all, playing just as much of a part in it as the others. Going city by city, town by town, they’re covering ground fast, and she can’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun.

“So how’re you liking your first day as a Guardian?” Kimberly yells as she flies alongside behind her, trailing golden sand with a wide smile on her face. They’re ahead of the boys, but Trini isn’t going to let Kimberly win without a fight. 

“I’m not a Guardian!” Trini yells back, dodging around a clock tower and aiming for the next populated area. 

“Oh no?” Kimberly spreads her arms out and does a quick twirl, brighter than everything Trini knows and twice as lovely. “You’re protecting the children, aren’t you? That’s what a Guardian _does_.”

That stumps Trini, leaving her mulling it over, and she pouts when she realizes it’s true. “I’m – I mean – ”

The coin in her jacket pocket warms and suddenly starts vibrating, as if reminding her that it’s still there, and Trini has no response.

“Anyways,” Kimberly continues, “You’re one of the team now, and as your first team building exercise slash competition, it’s inevitable that you’re going to lose.” 

Trini laughs. “You’d have to put me to sleep to beat me at this rate, princess.” 

“Hm,” Kimberly eyes sparkle in the moonlight, reflecting silver and gold, and when Trini looks at her in suspicion, she raises an eyebrow and waves a hand to form a ball of dreamsand, no bigger than a baseball. She’s flying sideways now, effortlessly keeping pace with Trini, and when she starts tossing the ball up and down casually with a raised eyebrow in her direction, Trini glares, pointing a finger and giving her a warning look.

“Kim, _no_. No, don’t you dare, I swear to god if you knock me out – ”

Kimberly only smirks in response, and the last thing Trini sees is a golden blur as the ball of dreamsand bursts in her face, soundly putting her to sleep.

She doesn’t know that Kimberly is the one to catch her, nor does she see the fond look on her face as she lowers them both to the top of a nearby skyscraper. She doesn’t feel the gentle hand that brushes her hair back before settling her securely against a wall, and she doesn’t hear the soft words the Kimberly whispers to her before letting go and standing without her.

She doesn’t see the way Kimberly waves her hand to summon a gleaming dreamsand pterodactyl with a sort of hammock hanging around its neck, twisting her fingers to scoop it around her body and lift her into the air, nor does she see the way Kimberly promptly steals the bag with all the teeth she’s collected before taking off into the sky.

All she does is sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the added tags! 
> 
> The angst wasn’t on purpose but that doesn’t change the fact that mayhaps I was CRYING

Trini wakes to a gentle rocking motion, blinking her eyes open to be greeted with a blinding amount of gold. It’s sparkling right in her face, and as she cranes her neck it takes her a second to adjust and realize that she’s staring up at what appears to be a dreamsand pterodactyl, flying through the night sky with stars twinkling above it. It’s calm and soothing, and it takes another minute for her to remember what led up to this and get moving. 

Groggily pushing herself up, she shakes her head in an attempt to clear it before peering around. She’s lying in some kind of hammock gliding through the sky, and it only takes her a second to spot Kimberly, flying to the side.

“Hey,” she calls over, half accusing and half disbelieving as she wriggles herself out from the pterodactyl’s hold, “You knocked me out!” Shaking her head once more, she spreads her arms to lift herself up to Kimberly, keeping pace easily and blinking again when the pterodactyl dissolves, dreamsand floating away.

Kimberly grins at her, completely unrepentant. “And if I did?”

“You can’t just knock me out,” Trini scowls at her, absently noting that she’s covered in dreamsand but making no move to brush it off. “That’s cheating.” 

Kimberly laughs and spirals through the air, flying lower and twisting gracefully through the buildings. “Nobody specified no powers, which means _technically_ , I didn’t cheat at all.” 

Trini grumbles even as she scoffs a laugh, and she has to admit that it’s very difficult for her to hold onto any ire with Kimberly right there watching her mischievously. “Well, I’d like to see you try it again,” she declares, raising her eyebrows in challenge, “I’m ready for it, no way you’re getting rid of me now.” 

Kimberly laughs easily and angles herself downwards. “Why would I want to do that? We’ve only just found you!” 

They’ve reached a residential area, quaint two–story houses lining the streets on either side, and Trini follows after her, rolling her eyes and hoping the night is dark enough to hide her sudden flush.

“You really – hey! And those are my teeth!” 

“Why don’t you come and get them?” Kimberly says cheekily as she shakes the stolen bag at her, and Trini doesn’t hesitate to lunge for her, grabbing at it. Unfortunately, she misjudges the amount of force needed, and they both go tumbling into the bedroom window behind them, knocking it open and spilling out ungracefully onto a carpeted bedroom floor.

Wincing, Trini blinks hard and tries to push herself up, blushing when she realizes that she’s landed directly on top of Kimberly and then hastily getting off. “Sorry.”

Kimberly is smiling crookedly as she floats up after her, dusting herself off and ignoring the mass of dreamsand left on the floor. They stare at each other, and then Trini blushes, though she isn’t sure why.

“I – ” 

“So this is where you’ve gotten to!” Billy’s voice interrupts them, and Trini whirls around to see the boys squeezing themselves in through the bedroom door all at the same time. Jason accidentally knocks into the dresser, toppling over a child’s figurine, and they all shush him.

“Careful, dude!” 

“Shh!” Kimberly whispers empathetically, “We don’t want to wake – ” 

There’s a quiet gasp from the bed as a flashlight clicks on, the beam of light aimed right for them, and they all freeze with matching expressions of chagrin as they slowly turn around.

“Um…” 

They stare, and then Kimberly smiles sheepishly, lifting her hand and wiggling her fingers at the young girl kneeling on the bed.

“Hi.” 

“Wha…” Her mouth is hanging open, and Trini winces, holding very still.

“…Hello,” Jason pipes up as well, wincing apologetically.

“You’re… Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny, and – and the Tooth Fairy?” The beam of light swings between them as the girl continues to gape. “ _Sandman_?” 

“Wait, she can… see us?” Trini gasps, loosening the grip on her daggers she’d grabbed for out of instinct.

“…Some of us,” Zack says regretfully, and Trini’s heart sinks as she realizes the girl’s gaze is passing right over her.

“…Right.” 

Kimberly’s hand comes up to rest on her shoulder, squeezing gently in an attempt to comfort her, and Trini tries to smile her thanks, bringing up a hand to adjust her frost-covered beanie. 

“Hello, Tommy Oliver!” Billy says brightly, flying forward to smile at the girl, “Hello. Oh, you’ve always brushed so well! Your teeth were beautifully taken care of, I have to congratulate you for that.” 

“Um… Thank you,” Tommy stammers, eyes wide and mouth still hanging open, “You’re… you’re real?” 

A low growl in the doorway alerts them to the presence of a dog, although Tommy doesn’t even react, expression slowly brightening.

“You’re real!” she exclaims, shuffling closer to edge of the bed, “Really real!” 

Trini lets out a huff and turns her head to address the others over her shoulder. “This is a problem, right?” she asks, raising an eyebrow and unsure if she wants to laugh or cry. “Like, you aren’t supposed to let kids see you?” 

Jason and Billy wordlessly shake their heads as they watch the dog, and Zack is ignoring them completely.

“Kim, knock her out!” Zack hisses out of the corner of his mouth, jerking his head towards Tommy as he keeps his eyes on the dog that is now pacing closer with bared teeth.

“Oh, right!” Kimberly hurriedly forms a ball of dreamsand, closing one eye as she takes aim, but she’s jostled by the way the dog suddenly lunges for Zack. Havoc breaks loose, the boys scattering with Kimberly and Trini getting knocked around in the middle, and Tommy lets out an exclamation of alarm and grabs for the dog.

Jason’s snow globe falls out of his pocket, rolling across the bedroom floor, and Trini trips over it as she tries to get out of Zack’s way. Kimberly’s shot goes wide when he jumps in front of her, and somebody yelps as they all duck. It ricochets around the room, hitting what seems like every corner and bouncing off of the boys’ heads, and Trini darts around to avoid it, pulling a fairly impressive backflip midair to get out of its path. 

Smirking, Trini perches on the windowsill and watches as it continues to fly around, eventually bursting when it smacks right into the dog’s face, and the room goes quiet as the dog tips over asleep in the middle of the floor. She bites back a laugh at the sight before her, the boys sprawled around the child’s bedroom, and Kimberly is the only other one unaffected, floating in the corner with a hand slapped over her mouth as she tries to muffle her own laughter. 

“Oops?” she manages, lifting her hand in an approximation of a shrug, and Trini huffs a laugh, staying where she is and shaking her head.

“That worked great,” she whispers dryly, knowing that the others are down for the count but still feeling the need to preserve the stillness of the night. “Really, I’ve never been more impressed.” 

Kimberly giggles good–naturedly as she drifts closer, using both hands to push her disheveled hair away from her face, and Trini laughs as she gets off the windowsill, her sneakers lightly hitting the floor.

Now standing in front of Kimberly, Trini is once more distracted by the way the light she emits plays over her features, gold reflecting in her eyes. The strangely familiar sense of attachment is back, drawing her forwards, and Trini finds that she’s much more inclined to listen to it now, tilting her head back to see her better.

“One day they’ll believe in you,” Kimberly says without preamble, reaching to push some hair out of Trini’s face and smooth it behind her ear, “You’ll see.” 

She keeps her hand on Trini’s cheek for a moment, watching her with something unreadable in her eyes, and then she tweaks a hanging lock of Trini’s hair, disturbing some of the snowflakes that always form among the strands and catching one on her finger. Trini stays quiet, searching her face for any sign of deceit, but the only thing there is honest certainty, practically radiating from her soft smile. It’s almost like the glow of her dreamsand is reaching out to envelop Trini as well, pulling her into the warmth of it, and she doesn’t try to stop herself from smiling in response.

“You really think so?” she asks carefully, and Kimberly reaches out to place a steady hand on her arm.

“Yes.”

Trini takes in the word, marvels at the way it settles in her chest and grows, and in the silence Kimberly raises her hand between them to examine the snowflake. Considering it, she beams and then waves the fingers of her other hand, creating a burst of dreamsand snowflakes over Trini’s head. Trini scoffs and flicks her own fingers to create a cluster of snowflakes over Kimberly’s head in retaliation, and Kimberly laughs.

Trini grins at the sound, feeling so relaxed and comfortable and _light_ , secure in a way she can’t ever remember feeling before in all her centuries. She doesn’t like to let herself hope, but something about Kimberly seems to be changing that.

Then a menacing shadow passes by the window, dark and almost thunderous, and they both whirl around, laughter forgotten and weapons already drawn. Kimberly’s dreamsand flares, and Trini catches the tail end glimpse of a nightmare putty before pushing aside the flash of fear that accompanies it. 

“Shit.” 

Daggers raised, she uses the wind to carry her over to the windowsill and peer outside, but Kimberly surges past her and is outside in a flash, face set and dreamsand bow in hand. 

“Let’s go!” 

Trini jumps after her, readying herself for a fight. She's lost track of Tommy, but she assumes the girl is safe asleep in her bedroom, especially since they’re tracking Rita in another direction. The others are still out cold, but they have no time to wake them given that it’s a dreamsand induced sleep and the nightmare putty is already well ahead of them.

The wind streams through her hair as she flies, and when she realizes that there’s actually two nightmare putties, her and Kimberly exchange a nod before veering away from each other to each take the closest one. 

The putty Trini is following stays closer to the ground, skimming along rooftops while Kimberly’s soars through the sky above her, and Trini uses it all to her advantage, twisting and catching whatever structure is nearest to propel herself forwards. She hears Kimberly whooping triumphantly and sees a burst of gold out of the corner of her eye, grinning and assuming that means that Kimberly has been successful in catching it and restoring the nightmare back into a dream. 

Renewing her focus, Trini shoots forward and continues to chase hers, following it down an alley and taking aim. It veers sharply towards the rooftop of the building at the end of the alley, and with a yell, Trini thrusts her fist out and lets off a blast of ice, smirking when she feels the harsh cloak of fear disappear and jumping into the wind to soar upwards. She lands deftly on the rooftop and makes a satisfied noise when she sees the iced–over putty flattened on the roof.

Crouching down, she pokes at it with the tip of her dagger, but before she can relax the air suddenly goes cold again and she tenses, feeling it much worse than last time.

“Frost,” Rita’s voice cuts through the silence of the night. Trini whips around to blast her, but Rita disappears before it can make contact, reappearing on the raised part of the rooftop behind her. “I seem to have underestimated you. How… _novel_ ,” she growls, clearly annoyed, and Trini resettles her weight on the balls of her feet, preparing herself for an attack.

It doesn’t come, Rita only narrowing her eyes at her and tapping her fingers against her leg as she slowly paces back and forth, and Trini refuses to give her the satisfaction of looking away first.

Then somebody clears their throat, and Trini smirks when she sees a flash of gold behind Rita, now representing so much more than it used to, than when she was alone watching from rooftops. The sound causes Rita to sneer at her before she turns around in confusion, and then she takes a reflexive step back when she sees Kimberly standing there, arms crossed with a murderous glare on her face. Trini raises an eyebrow at the reaction, but the Bogeyman recovers quickly.

“Perfect! Just who I was looking for,” Rita declares, clapping her hands together, and Kimberly’s scowl deepens before she springs into action, shooting off a barrage of arrows that has Rita scrambling. She holds out her hand and summons some kind of staff as she dodges Kimberly’s attacks, made out of the black sand the same way Kimberly’s bow is made of gold, and Kimberly keeps approaching, hands out at her sides and a rising swirl of dreamsand surrounding her. The effortless display of power is breathtaking, and Trini makes sure to stay out of the way as they exchange a few more blows before Rita is tossed over the edge of the roof, hitting the road below and rolling to a stop as she tries to catch herself.

“Okay, okay, you can’t blame me for trying,” Rita complains as she stands, brushing herself off as she backs away from a still advancing Kimberly. The staff vanishes from where it’s lying abandoned on the pavement before rematerializing in her hand, and Trini jumps down to join them. “You don’t know what it’s like to be weakened like this, either hated or forgotten,” she simpers dramatically, far too theatrical to be sincere, and Trini narrows her eyes. Kimberly still hasn’t said anything, golden glow dancing around her, but in this one instance, Trini knows that she understands Rita better than Kimberly does.

The Sandman has always been believed in, always been beloved since the very beginning. Once the Bogeyman’s reign had ended, she had been forgotten, and she had become invisible. Trini glares harder, angry that she can see where Rita is coming from, but she forces herself to focus when Rita continues talking.

“You don’t know what it’s like, but, well, I can see now that it was wrong of me to mess with your dreams. So, you know what?” Her face hardens. “You can have them _back_.” 

Something in the air shifts, and Trini takes an instinctive step away when Rita throws her arms out. 

From every shadow in every nook and cranny of the dimly lit street, countless nightmare putties swarm into existence, surging forwards until they’ve surrounded them. The darkness thickens, pressing closer, and Trini tries not to let her horror show, drawing strength from where she can feel Kimberly against her. Her daggers are raised and Kimberly has dreamsand glowing all around her and gathered at her fists, but they’re hopelessly outnumbered, and judging by the maniacal grin on Rita’s face, she knows it.

“Zordon will never take me seriously if I don’t kill at least one of you,” she muses out loud, voice casual, “Who shall it be?” The nightmare putties clamour and rage behind her, and Trini darts her eyes around, looking for a way out of this for her and Kimberly.

“…You take the ones on the left, I’ll take the ones on the right?” she offers weakly, the distress leaking into her voice as they press back to back, and Kimberly makes an unintelligible noise in response, clenching her fists at her side.

Santa’s sleigh suddenly crashes down onto the street, skidding along the concrete before the reindeers manage to bring it up again, and Trini startles, raising her daggers higher when the nightmare putties rumble and growl restlessly in response. The boys still look woozy and out of sorts, but their weapons are out and Rita’s expression hardens again before she throws out her arms.

“Crush them!” 

With a mindless roar, the nightmare putties surge forward, and Trini and Kimberly leap into action. Trini throws up her arms to send out an icy shockwave out from where they’re trapped in the center and push back the initial wave, and in the space it provides Kimberly grabs her arm with both hands and shoots upwards, pulling Trini into the sky and away from the houses and their vulnerable occupants.

The putties follow, gaining quickly, and Trini and Kimberly exchange a look as understanding passes between them, Trini nodding before she brings her feet up to brace against Kimberly’s leg and jump away, feeling the boost of speed when Kimberly launches her at the same time.

The wind catches her and she soars, stubbornly holding the burgeoning panic at bay and throwing blast after blast of ice into the fray as the putties swarm them both. Kimberly seems to ignite, glowing hotter than before as she takes them on, and Trini whips her daggers around, never letting herself get too far away from her. The boys are fighting from the sleigh, with Jason and Zack jumping up to take out any putties they can reach before landing back while Billy zips around them, and while it’s a definite help overall, it’s no question that Kimberly and Trini are the ones central in this fight.

The battle goes on, both sides striking out with vicious aggression, and Trini lets out a yell as one of the putties gets through her defense and swipes hard at her shoulder, knocking her back and sending her spiralling before she can call the wind up to catch her. Her arm throbs as she stabilizes herself, but she doesn’t let it stop her from creating a bunch of floating ice shards and hurling them into the putty trying to sneak through Kimberly’s blind spot.

As soon as they hit their target she spins around and starts shooting blasts of ice again, flying backwards to try and trick them into grouping together so she’ll have an easier target. It works, multiple putties charging after her, and she leads them in a tight circle before giving up control of the wind and letting herself drop, throwing a wave of magic upwards to take out the whole lot of them. Satisfied, she smirks and calls the wind back to her, soaring upwards to rejoin the fray.

She chokes when something yanks at the back of her jacket, abruptly cutting off her flight, and she spins to kick out with both feet at the putty holding her tight. As Trini tries to wrestle her way out of its grip, kicking viciously and hacking away at any part she can reach, she sees a row of putties advancing on the boys and gasps, instinctively throwing out a hand to send a wave of magic at them to disintegrate the nightmares. She blows out a sigh of relief, but the feeling doesn’t last when the putty takes advantage of her distraction and punches her full in the face, sending her careening head over heels through the air. 

A giant dreamsand tiger catches her and carries her over to Kimberly before disappearing, and Trini quickly reorients herself.

“You good?” Kimberly calls out loudly, and Trini nods, hastily shouting back a wordless affirmation as they pick up the fight together. Trini continues to lash out, striking for the close range nightmare putties so Kimberly can focus on bigger more widespread attacks, and even though their tactics are efficient, Trini knows they aren’t gaining any ground.

Breathing heavily, Kimberly turns to her, wind whipping hair around her face. “We’re not going to beat them this way,” she yells over the sound of the wind and chaos as she aims for a cluster off to the side with her bow, and Trini grimaces, slashing through another putty and blasting the one coming up behind Kimberly. “We need a plan!” 

“If you’ve got any ideas, I’d love to hear them!” Trini yells back. Kimberly whirls around in a neat spin to take out three putties with her bow before she hovers to face Trini again, and Trini doesn’t like the look in her eyes, suddenly so grim and foreboding. Though she doesn’t know why, she can sense that she isn’t going to like whatever Kimberly’s about to suggest and gives her a warning look, panic still clawing at the edges of her mind. “Kim – ” 

They’re interrupted by more nightmare putties, and Trini watches as Kimberly easily fires a barrage of arrows into them before throwing up a hand and summoning a massive shield, bracing her forearm to keep the putties from breaking through. It’s an awe–inspiring display of power, shield glittering brilliantly around them, but Trini knows it can’t hold forever.

“Kim, whatever you’re thinking…” 

“I’m thinking of how to get you safe, Trini!” 

There’s a moment where their eyes meet, just the tiniest bit of time stolen from the space between one breath and the next, and Trini is dumbstruck. She sees Kimberly, floating backlit by her dreamsand, removed from this conflict and at peace. She sees the things that could have been, sees the way they should have been, sees her unwavering determination to _protect_ … and she sees pain.

“Trini, I’m sorry.”

Face set, Kimberly turns to face her fully and raises her free arm, dreamsand gathering at the tips of her fingers. Her eyes are shining, conflicting emotions warring within them, but her steadfast will is running as an undercurrent to it all, resolute and strong. It’s the look of someone who knows what she has to do, and knows that it’s going to require sacrifice.

It’s the look of someone who is about to do something heroically idiotic like put Trini to sleep and take on the entire battle by herself.

As soon as she realizes what’s happening, Trini gasps and reels backwards, bringing her hands up against all her instincts to try and send out a blast of ice to counteract Kimberly’s dreamsand. Something deep and visceral inside of her rebels at the prospect of using magic _against_ Kimberly, and she has to fight through it to try to stop this before it happens.

But she isn’t fast enough. 

As if in slow motion, the sand rushes towards her, swirling through the air and bursting when both of their magics collide and explode into a display that has no business being as beautiful as it is. Some of it still reaches her, slipping through her shield, and Trini sucks in a breath when the dreamsand hits her skin. 

The effect is immediate and has her struggling to stay conscious, half asleep and woozy as she fights off the haze that’s blanketing her mind and lulling her to sleep. Her vision begins to fade, and her heart seizes up. 

“Kim…” she gets out, dipping in the air as she reaches for the other girl, and then she’s falling.

She thinks she’s enveloped in dreamsand again, being carried just like earlier that night, and the next thing she knows she’s lying on a cold roof. It’s dark but not, eerily calm but terrifying, and she blinks her eyes open as everything comes flooding back. Her eyes clear, and she looks up as she tries to keep her breathing steady.

The battle is raging on in the sky, and there in the middle is Kimberly, shield down and fighting so hard to hold them all off.

Alone.

The Guardian is surrounded by nightmare putties, masses of black sand roiling around her, and even though she keeps shooting them, turning individual bunches gold, they don’t take long to be snuffed out by the darkness once more. The boys are fighting too, bursts of movement and activity in the distance, and Trini swings her gaze around in desperation.

Rita is hovering on the edge of the action, watching Kimberly intently with a sinister smile curling her lips, and Trini’s eyes widen in fear, not wanting to wait and see what she’s planning.

Flipping herself over, she struggles to her knees, both hands planted on the ground as she tries to stabilize herself. Her dagger handles are lying next to her, placed too neatly to have been put there by accident, and she scoops them up and crams them back into their holsters as she staggers to her feet. 

Forcibly ignoring the way she’s teetering unsteadily, Trini sucks in a determined breath and launches herself upwards, shooting into the air and then immediately dropping again. She’s clearly not recovered from her impromptu dreamsand–induced nap, and she curses darkly under her breath as she hits the rooftop hard, ignoring the way her body aches from the beating it had taken from the putties. Sucking in a quick breath, she glances upwards to see that the putties are swarming Kimberly at this point, only the glowing golden centre of the mess in the sky telling Trini that she’s still holding them off, but the black is pressing inwards at a dangerously fast rate.

They’re losing this fight.

She shakes her head violently and pushes herself to her feet again, desperate to get herself together and get to Kimberly, and with one final breath, she takes off.

The wind is howling in her ears, tearing at her clothes, and Trini strains to go faster, needing to _help_ her, needing to reach her, needing to do _something_  – 

Out of the corner of her eye she spots the other Guardians in the sleigh flying towards them, but their flight is choppy and slow and she knows they won’t get here in time to help. The wind buffets her around, and the golden glow is getting smaller with every second that passes. 

Stray putties try to charge her as she approaches, and she blasts them away without a second’s thought, not willing to let them get in her way or slow her down. In other circumstances she’d be impressed with her powers and how easily it is to hold her own offensively, but Rita is planning something, Rita is going to try to hurt Kimberly, and Trini can’t help her from here.

“ _No_!” Trini cries out when she sees Rita bare her teeth in a crazed smile and draw back her arm, forming a massive black arrowhead in the air. It possesses none of the slender grace of Kimberly’s, instead bulky and jagged, and at the sight her heart goes cold. The world seems to still, everything freezing with the breath in her lungs, and then Rita releases, arrow aimed directly at Kimberly. 

Everything stops, and then… 

Trini _screams_.

The black arrow pierces right through Kimberly, and Trini sees the shock flash across her face in the moment before she hunches over, gritting her teeth. The black of the arrow spreads over her like poison, crawling across her body and slowly overtaking her gold, and from this distance, all Trini can do is watch. 

Kimberly’s eyes are narrowed even as her face twists in pain, glaring defiantly at Rita as her glow gets snuffed out, and Trini sees her lips move as she yells something. Rita cackles in response, and Kimberly snarls something back. 

The darkness has reached her neck by now, covering the rest of her body, and Trini is so focused on her face that she almost misses when the black sand begins to flake, drifting away through the air. 

Kimberly is slowly disintegrating before her eyes. 

Disappearing. 

Trini chokes, the panic in her throat well past the point where she can push it down, but she still presses forward. Rita spots her and waves an imperious hand in her direction, directing the nightmare putties, and they come at her in a wave. It doesn’t give her pause this time, and Trini doesn’t alter her course, eyes fixed on Kimberly as she feels anger deepening and becomes aware of the fury hidden right behind her fear. 

Kimberly is clearly struggling, still fighting against the nightmares, and her fiercely determined gaze is the last bit of gold Trini catches a glimpse of before light gives way to the dark.

Just as she vanishes, Trini sees a tiny speck of pink fall and start hurtling towards the ground – it’s Kimberly’s coin, and that’s the final straw. 

Twisting her face up in a snarl, Trini feels her magic rushing up in her, thick and burning through her entire body. Her arms are already spread, and she uses her fury to concentrate everything into one decisive surge of magic.

It _hurts_ , a pain born of desperation and grief like nothing she can ever remember feeling, and Trini clenches her jaw hard enough that spikes of pain shoot through to her temples.

She ignores it, drawing herself up and facing the approaching horde of nightmare putties head on. The pressure keeps building until it feels like it’ll tear her apart, and then she unleashes it all at once in a dazzling display of ice and rage, distantly taking in the way it reflects off of the remaining haze of loose dreamsand.

She sees Rita scream and feels the nightmare putties recoil, and even though she doesn’t know what’s happening, she grits her teeth and lets it take her over, determined to cause as much damage as she can. 

She thinks about her empty memory and her empty life, and she thinks of the horrors Rita wants to cause. She thinks of the innocents that are bound to get hurt, thinks of everything this world stands to lose, thinks of broken hopes and shattered hearts and lost dreams tinged gold.

She doesn’t let herself think about Kimberly. 

“No!” Rita bellows, recoiling with her arms raised to cover her face, and Trini loses sight of her amidst the chaos of shadows and ice. The frozen putties seem to burst all at once, sending out a shockwave that pushes her back several feet, and Trini squeezes her eyes shut and drops her arms, feeling the last tendrils of magic escape her.

Her power fades as the wind slowly gives out, and she becomes aware that she’s beginning to fall, exhausted and unable to maintain her flight. 

Distantly, she’s aware of someone catching her, the hum of iridescent blue wings telling her it must be Billy, and that haze over her doesn’t lift as she’s carried through the sky and then lowered into the sleigh. Blinking up at the dark sky, she sees the remnants of her attack shimmering like stars, and knows that Rita has been chased off for now, taking with her the nightmares and the fear. 

The boys are huddled close around her, and Trini stays where she is, heart pounding violently in her chest but the sound muffled in her ears. They’ve pushed Rita back, and they’ve won this battle, but victory is the farthest thing from what Trini feels.

 

Because she was too late, and Kimberly is gone. 

 


End file.
